The Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears went into Week 15 with tenuous holds on the second wild-card spots and No. 6 seeds in their respective conferences. After each lost tight games on Sunday, they're both faced with must-win situations in Week 16.

AFC

1. Houston Texans (12-2)

The Texans took care of the AFC South title by defeating the Colts, 29-17, at home. They got a break with the Patriots losing, and can lock up the No. 1 seed with one more win.

They likely won't catch the Texans, who hold the tiebreaker with their win over the Broncos in Denver. But based on their remaining opponents, they should easily take the No. 2 seed in the AFC.

What's left: vs. Cleveland, vs. Kansas City

3. New England Patriots (10-4)

Their slip-up against San Francisco not only cost them a shot at the No. 1 seed, but also gave the Broncos control of the No. 2. The Patriots probably will need to go through Denver and Houston to get back to the Super Bowl.

What's left: at Jacksonville, vs. Miami

4. Baltimore Ravens (9-5)

The Ravens will need to work hard just to keep this seed as AFC North leaders. If they lose to the Giants next week and the Bengals beat the Steelers, they'll be facing a rematch in Cincinnati with the division title on the line in Week 17.

The Colts can forget about the AFC South crown and focus on nailing down the top wild-card spot. At the least, they should do that by beating the woeful Chiefs next week.

What's left: at Kansas City, vs. Houston

6. Cincinnati Bengals (8-6)

If they're going to keep this spot and return to the playoffs, they must beat the Steelers in Week 16. If not, Pittsburgh would displace them as the No. 6 seed because of a season sweep.

What's left: at Pittsburgh, vs. Baltimore

In the hunt: Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7), New York Jets (6-7), Miami Dolphins (6-8)

The Steelers didn’t hurt themselves too much with their loss to the Cowboys, because they will look to sweep the Bengals next week. For that to happen, however, their defense will need to turn in a much better effort than what it has put forth the past two weeks. The Jets need to win at Tennessee on Monday to keep maintain pressure on the Bengals and Steelers.

NFC

1. Atlanta Falcons (12-2)

The Falcons made a great statement in advance of the playoffs with their 34-0 rout of the Giants, the team that knocked them out of last season's playoffs. They are still unbeaten at home this season, and all they need to do is win one game to lock up home-field advantage.

The Niners can still catch the Falcons, but they would need a lot of help. They need to worry instead about taking care of the NFC West and locking up the No. 2 seed. Even if they lose at Seattle next week, they can still win the division by beating Arizona in the finale. A loss to the Seahawks could cost them the No. 2 seed, though, as Green Bay could sneak past them.

The Packers have taken the NFC North after finishing a sweep of the Bears. They have already lost to the 49ers and Seahawks but will be rooting for Seattle—which trails the Packers by one game—next week against the Niners. That would give Green Bay a shot at the No. 2 if the Packers can win their final two games. Green Bay's ultimate goal should simply be to keep up the momentum into the playoffs.

What's left: vs. Tennessee, at Minnesota

4. Washington Redskins (8-6)

The Redskins lead the NFC East because they have a better division record than the Giants and Cowboys. If they can avoid a trap game against the last-place Eagles next week, they'll play for the East title against the Cowboys in Week 17.

The Seahawks won't get the winner-take-all home matchup against San Francisco that they had hoped for. Still, they want to sustain their considerable momentum, regardless of whether they have to start off as a road wild card.

6. Minnesota Vikings (8-6)

There are five teams with this record in the NFC, and the Vikings are fortunate that the Redskins, who beat them earlier, have been elevated into the NFC East lead. They are not fortunate, however, with having the Texans and Packers to close out their schedule.

What's left: at Houston, vs. Green Bay

In the hunt: Chicago Bears (8-6), Dallas Cowboys (8-6), New York Giants (8-6)

That's a trio of marquee teams on the outside right now. The biggest collapse belongs to the Bears. After starting 7-1, they have lost five of their past six games, and now the question has gone from "Are they the best team in the NFC?" to "Will Lovie Smith keep his job?"